About
Over her 25-year career, Cher Carney has developed frameworks for comparing and describing
automated vehicle technologies. Cher is passionate about safety and how human factors
driving research can help save lives. Cher is a Senior Research Associate at the University of
Iowa’s Driving Safety Research Institute and is also the research lead for the Automated Driving
Systems (ADS) for Rural America project where she has raised awareness of the unique needs
of rural environments and the potential for AVs to improve safety and mobility for a large
portion of the population with little or no access to public transportation.
PAVE: How does your work align with our mission to educate the public on AV technology and its promise?
The ADS for Rural America project has provided knowledge transfer opportunities through our
project webinars, presentations at conferences, community meetings and outreach events. Our
goal is to inform stakeholders of the issues relevant to AVs performance on rural roadways to
ensure that the potential benefits of automated vehicles are realized for everyone.
PAVE: What are the current barriers you see in public acceptance of automated vehicles?
We need to work together to improve stakeholder knowledge of the state and capabilities of
automation. AV technologies have shown the potential to improve safety and should be seen as
a way to aide drivers in being safer. As AV technology evolves, exposing the public to these
technologies will be the best way for them to understand and begin to increase trust and
acceptance.
